From the “toughest employment year in history” to an even tougher one, college graduates are facing increasingly difficult job prospects.
　　It is reported that in 2014, the total number of college graduates nationwide will reach 7.27 million, further increasing overall employment pressure.
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　　“Facing growing employment pressure and a severe job market, the state will continue to give top priority to the employment and entrepreneurship of college graduates, promoting both employment and entrepreneurship, and opening a ‘policy tailwind’ for graduates to boost employment and encourage startups,” said Xin Changxing, Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on May 21.
　　For architecture graduates, known for their “calm approach to employment,” should they also board this “policy tailwind” to better secure jobs and try joining the ranks of entrepreneurs?
　　Growing Employment Pressure
　　Having witnessed the severe employment situation in 2013, people are paying particular attention to the 2014 job market. Last year, 6.99 million college graduates nationwide made it what people called the “toughest employment year in history.” This year, the number will exceed the 7 million mark for the first time, reaching 7.27 million, further increasing employment pressure.
　　In this regard, Feng Lijuan, chief human resources expert at 51job, analyzed in a media interview that because most industries recruited a large number of college graduates between 2010 and 2012, and the global economy remains sluggish, recruitment in many industries has cooled. The deeper reason lies in the mismatch between companies' skill requirements and the skills graduates possess.
　　“Employment is the foundation of people's livelihood. Since the beginning of this year, the state has introduced a series of new policy measures to stabilize and expand employment. On April 30, an executive meeting of the State Council specifically studied the employment of college graduates and determined policy measures to further promote their employment and entrepreneurship. Subsequently, the General Office of the State Council issued a notice on May 9 and held a teleconference on May 13 to arrange the employment and entrepreneurship work for college graduates in 2014, rolling out a number of new high-value measures on top of previous support policies to ease the growing employment pressure on graduates,” Xin Changxing said at the press conference that day.
　　Promoting Employment and Entrepreneurship Together
　　It is understood that the “Notice of the General Office of the State Council on Doing a Good Job in the Employment and Entrepreneurship of National Ordinary College Graduates in 2014” proposes focusing on graduate employment and entrepreneurship while also implementing a new round of the College Student Entrepreneurship Leading Plan. So, regarding this new approach of combining employment and entrepreneurship, what measures will the state take next? When will the College Student Entrepreneurship Leading Plan be introduced?
　　In response to these questions from reporters, Xin Changxing explained that incorporating entrepreneurship into the overall layout of employment work and promoting both employment and entrepreneurship is an important change in the overall employment framework. This year's government work report has a very appealing phrase on this work: “lead entrepreneurship with innovation, and drive employment with entrepreneurship.” Employment is the foundation of people's livelihood, and employment is driven by entrepreneurship, so entrepreneurship is the source of employment and an inexhaustible driving force for innovation.
　　He said that among various entrepreneurial groups, college students are the most passionate and have the greatest potential. However, the proportion of college graduates starting businesses in China is still relatively low compared with other countries. On April 30, when the State Council executive meeting studied this year's graduate employment work, it specifically proposed further strengthening entrepreneurship work and determined to implement a new round of the College Student Entrepreneurship Leading Plan, which has been formally written into the notice. Currently, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, together with relevant departments, is stepping up research and drafting, and has determined the preliminary content of the plan. The basic idea is to support more than 800,000 college students in starting businesses over four years, from 2014 to 2017, through various policy support and entrepreneurial services. The document is now being circulated for signatures, and if progress is fast, it may be officially issued as early as next week.
　　Architecture Graduates Should “Stay Alert in Times of Peace”
　　This newspaper once published a report titled “In the ‘Tougher Employment Year,’ Architecture Graduates Calmly Choose Careers.” The article noted that although 2014 is called the “toughest employment year in history,” graduates of architecture-related majors have not been hit hard and are even calmer and more composed than in previous years.
　　Data from many survey agencies also show that architecture graduates rank first among many majors in average salary. Graduates are not in a hurry to “sell” themselves but calmly choose careers and make many demands on recruiting companies, which stems from the relatively strong demand for talent in the construction industry for some time.
　　But should architecture graduates, who are relatively secure, also “stay alert in times of peace,” board the “policy tailwind” opened by the state for college graduates, and explore broader space?
　　On how to inspire college graduates to start their own businesses, Xin Changxing said: “I think doing a good job in college student entrepreneurship should focus on three links: first, stimulate entrepreneurial passion, as the advertising slogan says, ‘your energy is beyond your imagination.’ Before Ma Yun's entrepreneurial awareness was stimulated, he never imagined he could build such a large Alibaba. Second, enhance their entrepreneurial ability by organizing entrepreneurship training so that every student with entrepreneurial intentions can receive entrepreneurship education and training and acquire basic knowledge and abilities in this area. Third, provide entrepreneurial support. On the one hand, we must implement existing support policies, including tax incentives and preferential financing and venue policies, to improve their success rate; on the other hand, after they succeed, we must provide continuous follow-up guidance and services to extend the survival period of enterprises on the basis of increasing the entrepreneurship rate. In short, we will work with relevant parties to implement the College Student Entrepreneurship Leading Plan and better leverage the role of innovation in driving entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship in driving employment.”